Automobile fire apparatus.



H. G. FARR.

AUTOMOBILE FIRE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLEDSEPT- 21. 1912.

1,191,293. Patented July is, 1916.

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Ins NORRIS I'L'TERS no" mmmumc. muuuvcmm n cy H. G. FARR.

AUTOMOBILE FIRE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2|, I912- Patented July 18, 1916.

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HERMAN e. FARR, or srmncrrnrn, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMOBILE FIRE APPARATUS.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 21, 1912. Serial No. 721,682.

To all whom it may concern: a j

-Be it known that I, HERMAN G. FARR, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in AutomobileFire Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to self-propelled fire apparatus of an improvednature.

At the present time the fire departments of large cities are generalyconcerned in a thorough renewing of their equipment, whereby to do awaywith the horse-drawn vehicles and adapt the motor-driven vehicles totheir use. In this change from the old type to the new type ofapparatus, great improvements have been made but, in taking advantage ofthese improvements, serious disadvantages have arisen, which were notpresent in the old type of apparatus. Chief among these disadvantageshas been the difficulty of guiding the faster moving vehicles throughcongested traffic, where short quick turns must be made to avoidaccidents while maintaining the desired speed. Heretofore,

automobile fire engines, due to the arrange: ment of the necessaryequipment thereon, have required a much longer wheel-base than the oldhorse-drawn engine. The longer wheel-base apparatus driven at greatspeed has presented acute problems of manipulation.

Applicant has devised a motor-driven fire engine to overcome thedifficulties referred to. This fire engine embodies an entire andradical rearrangement of elements, which are combined and assembled toform a vehicle of greatly shortened wheel-base and detailedimprovements, whereby an apparatus is provided havingall the desiredadvantages and efficiency.

The object of theinvention is to provide an apparatus of the classreferred to having an exceedingly short wheel-base with an arrangementof the necessary elements in the apparatus to, give improved efficiency.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in mounting theengine on the chassis; driving from the engine, through a suitabletransmission; and, through driving connections from the transmission, tothe rear wheels, said driving connections being arranged with respect tothe Wheel-base length in overlapping relation to the driving connectionsfrom the engine and tIMlSIIllS- The overlapping relation of thedriving-connections mentioned allows the full efficiency for the drivingconnections between the engine andtherear wheels,while,

at thesame time allowing a very material reduction of the wheel-baselength.

Other detail objects of theinvention will- Patented July 18, 1916. 7

appear in the following detail description and annexed claims.

The apparatus shown in the drawings and specifically described herein isillustrative only of one and the preferred method of using applicantsinvention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the assembledapparatus embodying applicants invention showing the specificarrangement of parts whereby the desiredresults are obtained. Fig. 2 isa detail view partly in section showing the clutch arrangement, wherebythe operator is enabled to connect the main driving shaft with the pumpshaft when the apparatus is ready to pump water. Fig.,3.is a detailview, on one side of the chassis of the method of mounting various partsin adjustable relation to the chassis. Fig. l is a side view of theparts shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, the motor of the apparatus is inclosed within thehood m and mounted substantially above the, rear axle a of the machine.An exceedingly efficient traction is thus given to the driving wheels.The crank shaft of the engine has driving connections with thetransmission l arranged in a direction along the wheelbase length of theapparatus. These driving connections are indicated in Fig. 2. A suitabledisk clutch g is arranged to throw these driving connections into andout of commission. The clutch g" is operated by the foot lever f mountedas shown. When the foot lever f is depressed, the clutch is thrown outof commission in a well known manner and at the same time the brake diskIt is thrown into commission tostop the spinning of the driving shaft,in a known manner. The shaft 0 (Fig. 1) is adapted to be driven by thetransmission mechanism. On

frame 8. This frame 8 is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and it is to beunderstood that the frame as shown in these figures is identical with alike frame on the other side of the chassis structure. The frame 8 isadjustably mounted in the manner indicated on the side supportingmembers of the chassis structure. On these frame pieces 8 is mounted therear driving axle a together with the usual springs. Between the shaftsa and Z) on each side of the machine, is mounted a floating strut rodu,-being connected to the supporting bearings of the shafts a. and I) byball and socket joint and a universal joint as is usual in such strutrods. These rods, by means of the turn buckle arrangement shown, areused to distance the shafts a and Z) and, where the driving connectionsbetween these shafts consist in driving chains, this distancing featureof the strut rod is exceedingly important.

When it is desired to drive the vehicle, the clutch g is thrown intocommission and the engine drives the transmission gearing. The operatorsets the gears therein in the usual manner by lever z and the reardriving axle is driven by connections from the shaft 0 as follows: Thesprockets on the shaft 0 are connected by suitable driving chains tocorresponding sprockets on the shaft b as indicated in Figs. 3 and l.The shaft (3-, one on each side of the machine has a second sprocketwheel which is connected bya suitable driving chain to correspondingsprocket wheels on the rear axle a, so that as the shaft 0 is rotatedthe driving shaft a will be turned by the driving connections described,one set being on each side of the vehicle. In this arrangement, as

is clear from Fig. 1, the driving'connections from the engine extendalong the wheel-base length to the transmission, while the drivingconnections, from the transmission gearing to the rear axle, also extendalong the wheel-base length, but in the opposite direction to thedriving connections first mentioned. Thus, considering the drivingconnections from the source of power to the rear axle, it will be seenthat the connections extend along the wheel-base length in one directionto the transmission and along the wheel-base length in the oppositedirection to the rear axle. Because of this overlapping arrangement,less distance along the wheel-base length is required than is usuallythe case, where the driving connections do not overlap but drivedirectly from the en.- gine arranged at the forward part of the machineand drive directly back to the rear axle through the transmissionmechanism. It is in the overlapping arrangement of the drivingconnections that one obtains the desired short wheel-base, theimportance of" which has been hereinbefore mentionedin connection withthis class of apparatus.

Where the driving connections consist to a great part in chain drives,it is important to provide means for properly distancing the shaftsbetween which the chain drives occur. Provision for this distancing ofthe several shafts will now be described in connection 'with themechanism on one side of the chassis frame, it being understood that themechanism on the other side, not shown, is the exact equivalent of thatdescribed. The shaft 0 is mounted fixedly with relation to the chassisstructure.

WVhen it is desired to take up the chains or loosen the same, theturn-buckle arrangement of the strut-rod. u is operated to distance theshaft a and I), as desired. The casting 29, however, is first loosenedwith respect to the frame 5 to enable it to move with relation thereto.The casting p is then tightened and the adjusting device t, at the endof the chassis frame (Fig. l), is operated to move the whole frame 8 inthe desired direction, which will carry the two shafts a and I) with theframe 8 as a unit and move the shafts a and b with relation to the shaft0, thus distancing the shafts c and Z) as desired. By these operations,it will be seen that the chains can be properly adjusted to their work.

When the vehicle has been driven to a fire and it is desired to connectthe engine with the pump, which is located at y (Fig. 1) the followingoperations take place: The gears are set to their neutral position bythe lever e, the clutch g is then put out of commission and a brakedevice it stops the spinning' of the main driving shaft. The lever 6 isthen operated to throw the clutch 7:: into commission, so that thesprocket wheel 7' will be connected to the driving shaft 2'. When thishas been done, clutch g is again thrown into commission and the enginedrives the pump shaft n through the clutch is and the sprocket wheel j,by means of a driving chain connection between the sprocket wheel j andthe pump shaft n. The fire hose is connected to the pump at the point 10and the hydrant is connected thereto at a point not shown. There isnothing left to do after these operations have been completed except tokeep the motor operating to its full efficiency.

VVith the mechanism described in operation, it is seen that the desiredresults before mentioned are obtained, that is the apparatus, whileembodying the advantages of any efficient fire engine apparatus, has anadditional advantage of being motor-driven and having an exceedinglyshort wheel-base, as compared to the ordinary motor-driven fireapparatus of this nature. This is true of the vehicle whether itembodies a pumping or other apparatus. The vehicle as actuallymanufactured has a wheel-base four inches greater than the wheel-baselength of the ordinary horse drawn engine, while the length occupied bythe horses drawing the engine is entirely eliminated. The apparatus can,therefore, be driven at a high rate of speed through congested trafficand the operator can make sure quick turns which are absolutelynecessary in operating this class of apparatus, if the desired speed isto be maintained.

While applicant has illustrated his invention with reference to thespecific form shown in the drawings as embodying the preferred form ofapparatus, the invention itself can be arranged in many specific formswithout departing from the essential features as claimed.

\Vhat I claim, is:-

1. A motor-driven apparatus embodying in combination, a chassisstructure, adapted to support an engine on the rear end thereof, atransmission mechanism in front of the engine and adapted to be driventherefrom by suitable driving connections including a clutch, a pump onthe structure, means to drive the pump from said driving connection, aclutch to put said means into and out of operation, a rear axle mountedon the structure, driving connections from the transmission mechanism tothe rear axle adapted to be operated from said transmission and arrangedin overlapping relation to the driving connections first mentioned, andmeans to adjust the distance between said transmission and said rearaxle whereby the tension of said last named driving connections may beregulated.

2. A motor-driven apparatus embodying in combination a chassis structureadapted to support an engine on the rear end thereof, a transmissionmechanism mounted in front of the engine adapted to be driven therefromby driving connections between the engine and said mechanism, anadjustable frame mounted on the chassis structure, a rear driving axlefixed to the adjustable frame, chain driving connections between thetransmission mechanism and the rear axle, said chain driving connectionsadapted to be operated from said transmission, all constructed andarranged so that the driving connections from the engine to the rearaxle allow a short wheel-base and the Copies of this patent may beobtained for'five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

adjustable frame can be moved to regulate the tension of the chaindriving connection.

3. A motor-driven apparatus embodying in combination a chassis structureadapted to support an engine on the rear end thereof, a transmissionmechanism in front of the engine adapted to be driven therefrom, a frameadjustably mounted on the chassis structure carrying the rear axle withsuitable springs and sprocket wheels, a bracket adjustably mounted onthe frame having a shaft with two sprocket wheels thereon, means forproperly distancing the shaft and rear axle, a sprocket wheel fixed tothe frame and adapted to be driven from the transmission mechanism, achain connecting the last mentioned sprocket wheel with one of those onthe bracket, a second chain connecting the second sprocket wheel .on thebracket with one on the rear axle, all constructed and arranged so thatthe bracket can move relatively to the frame by the distancing means andthe frame can be moved as awhole after the sprockets carried thereby aredistanced to properly distance them with respect to the sprocket wheelfixed to the frame, all for the ,purpose described.

4. A motor-driven apparatus embodying in combination, a chassisstructure adapted to support an engine on the rear end thereof, atransmission mechanism in front of the engine adapted to be driventherefrom, driving connections between the two including a clutch, apump on the structure, means to drive the pump from said drivingconnection, a clutch to put said means into and out of operation, a rearaxle mounted on the structure, driving connections from the transmissionmechanism to the rear axle adapted to be operated from said transmissionand arranged in overlapping relation to driving connections firstmentioned, all constructed and arranged so that the apparatus may have ashort wheel-base length and embody the necessary elements for thepurpose described.

HERMAN G. FARR.

Witnesses:

FRANKLIN G. NEAL, HARRY-VV. BOWEN.

Washington, .D. 0.

